The term “probiotic” refers to microorganisms that are believed to be healthy for the host organism. Examples of probiotic microorganisms include many types of lactic acid bacteria, e.g. bacteria that produce lactic acid as a metabolite, such as those belonging to the Order Lactobacillales or yeasts from the family Saccharomyces. Probiotic microorganisms are believed to provide many advantages when used in topical compositions. For example, according to U.S. Pat. No. 7,510,734, hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety, certain lactobacillus extracts have properties in stimulating beta-defensins, which have antibiotic activity against pathogens that come into contact with skin. Other types of extracts from probiotic microorganisms are known to have beneficial properties on skin such as free radical scavenging properties, anti-oxidant capability, and so on. It is known to use these types of extracts in skin care products. However, because color cosmetics such as foundation, blush, lipstick and so on are widely used by women, they represent another vehicle into which skin beneficial ingredients may be incorporated so that skin may receive nutrients from as many topical sources as possible.
However, color cosmetics are often more difficult to formulate. Color cosmetics such as foundations are often in emulsion form. Colored emulsions can have stability issues for a variety of reasons. For example, the pigments necessary to provide color are often bear positive or negative charges. That alone makes formulation of pigmented emulsions more difficult. The surfactant systems must be properly selected so that they are compatible with the other ingredients present, and the ionic charges of the colorants taken into consideration. In short, every ingredient incorporated into a pigmented emulsion composition has the potential to exert an effect on a system where stability is tricky at best.
Anhydrous color cosmetics are not free from their stability issues. If the compatibility of the oils, structuring agents and pigments used in these products are not properly considered these compositions can separate, discolor, or be otherwise commercially acceptable.
Accordingly, addition of probiotic ingredients into color cosmetics is fraught with difficulties in providing a cosmetic product that is stable, color true, and otherwise commercially acceptable.